The former Democratic state representative is running in the May Republican primary for Shelby County mayor. “I intend to win this race,” he said.

A total of 121 candidates made the deadline to file their qualifying petitions with the Shelby County Election Commission.

Also in the political roundup, Rose says he has a plan for state control after the Task Force; Buckner says the Task Force has a secret; and Smiley says the county mayor has a role to play at the jail.

State party leaders say there will be no hearing at a Saturday meeting on some concerns expressed by local Democrats about whether the former MSCS superintendent is a “bona-fide” Democrat.

May ballot races thick and thin develop ahead of Thursday’s noon deadline, with a warning a final list could take a while.

Halbert also checked out qualifying petitions for two other countywide positions on the 2026 ballot.

Newly filed campaign finance forms show two Shelby County Democratic mayoral candidates with far more financial resources than the rest of the crowded primary. 

A well-known Republican candidate for Shelby County mayor has emerged after all: Former state Rep. John DeBerry of Memphis is weighing a bid in the Republican primary for Shelby County mayor.

A local judge ruled that Shelby County commissioners “exceeded their authority” in passing a resolution that placed all nine school board seats on the ballot last fall. 

The Tennessee Secretary of State’s Office said Wednesday that the issues some voters had accessing their registration Tuesday night stemmed from a computer glitch. 

Memphis lawmaker Brent Taylor sponsors a bill to keep naturalized and dual citizens out of party primaries. 

U.S. Sen. Marsha Blackburn gets an almost-endorsement from President Donald Trump in her run for governor. Jerri Green talks about ICE and ice. And some campaign finance reports get filed early.

Races on the May and August ballots continue to take shape ahead of filing deadlines in February and March.

Already facing Rep. Justin J. Pearson, Steve Cohen faces a new challenger; one who was active during the George Floyd protests in Memphis years ago. 

Rachel Davis moved to Collierville because keeping her kids in the district was important. Now she’s seeking election to the suburb’s Board of Education.

“It’s time, and I’m very happy with my decision. I have no regrets,” Chism said.

Six of the 13 incumbent state House members representing Shelby County in Nashville checked out petitions on Friday’s opening day. Meanwhile, several judicial positions on the August ballot as special elections are also filling up.

Friday is the first day to check out and file qualifying petitions to get on the Aug. 6 ballot featuring state and federal primaries.

The local Republican Party’s executive committee meets later this month to elect a new chair.

Former Memphis Police Association president Mike Williams picks a race. Also, a nonendorsement by U.S. Rep. Steve Cohen, a new city policy director and a review of the Election Commission’s revamped website.

Take a look at the latest list of who has a petition in circulation and who has gotten the 25 signatures required to get on the May 5, 2026, county primary ballot.

Most of those checking out qualifying petitions Monday, Dec. 22, are looking to run in the May 5 Shelby County Democratic primaries. There are already some interesting trends.

The first day Monday, Dec. 22, of the period to get on the May 5 Shelby County primary ballot opened to a crowd of contenders Downtown and those who are already working on their campaigns.

Related content:

Who’s running in the 2026 Memphis school board election?

Because of term limits, Shelby County will see a new mayor, new sheriff and new county clerk — positions currently held by Lee Harris, Floyd Bonner Jr. and Wanda Halbert, respectively — elected in 2026. 

Even though we haven’t quite reached 2026 yet, candidates for elections in the Northeast Shelby County suburbs already are making their intentions known with many of the incumbents running again.